Wanderwhirl is…

…a place of wandering (and most definitely, whirling)… a place of self-discovery and self-creation… a place of love (and yes, sorrow)… a place of fun… a place of adventure… a place of failure and growth… a place of reflection… a place of sharing and giving… and a place of gratitude. ♥

It is and always will be a place where I am true to myself… where I give in to the moment.

The promise I make to myself is to always write what is in my heart and what is on my mind. I may come here often to yammer on about some thing or another, and most of the time, nothing of substance at all. Sometimes I may not show up for a long while until I feel as if I’m about to burst. And then? Then, I will spill out onto the pages a big mess of words in an attempt to make sense of my scattered thoughts and jumbled emotions.

When I feel lost or get caught up in the drama of the world outside my bubble, this is the place that will constantly remind me who I am and why.

I may share my feelings about writing my first novel encompassing a world (not to mention an endeavor) so overwhelming that it has proven to be a daunting undertaking, and I will question myself every step of the way.

And what I will offer to you, dear reader, is a place with some decent advice (or at least a few good tips on where to eat!), a place that will hopefully make you think about something other than cat videos or the latest celebrity news, and a place where you will feel not so alone. ♥

Hi! My middle name is Frances, and I have quite a fondness for old lady names. You can call me Frani. Thank you for visiting Wanderwhirl!

More Tidbits ~

♥ I was born and raised in a small city in southern Ohio right along the Ohio river. Simple town life to outsiders but complex and sometimes turbulent to the folks who live there. A couple hops, a few skips, and a stone’s throw away from Kentucky and West Virginia. Roaming country roads with a friend and a couple dogs, shoving wild blackberries with purple-stained fingers into my mouth, and stompin’ and hollerin’ at the hilltop jamboree — that is the essence of my childhood.

♥ I am currently living in the PNW, but my spirit belongs in New England and my love of comfort food belongs in the midwest/south.

♥ I am pack leader to a handsomely bearded, incredibly weird, and supportive husband who should write more stories and two adorable but ‘make me want to pull my hair out sometimes’ senior pups: a smart, intuitive, and sassy Chihuahua/Terrier mix as well as a very fuzzy, goofy, and cute mini goat Poodle mix.

♥ For those interested, I’m definitely a mutt myself — of a slightly less fuzzy variety, of course. I’m 1/4 Thai, 1/4 East Asian which consists of a fair amount of Chinese. I am 1/2 European – mostly British and Irish with a fair bit of Northwestern European thrown in. So yeah, I’m a big ol’ mixed bag. Obviously, most of my physical features come from those Asian genes.

♥ I am a bit of a snob when it comes to food. Alright, fine. I’m a HUGE snob but not in the pretentious, gourmet kind of way. I’ll take some street tacos and cheesecake over overpriced, fancy-pants nibbles. I just love good food, and good ol’ midwestern comfort food makes me so, so happy. Country gravy was one of the first staples I was taught how to make when I was a kid, so I can almost always get on board with some biscuits and gravy. Or tacos. Tacos are good.

♥ Aside from dogs, my favorite animals are giraffes. Sea otters are becoming a close second.

♥ I am almost always an introvert. That doesn’t mean I’m shy. That doesn’t mean I hate social interaction or have major social anxiety. That doesn’t necessarily mean I’m quiet all the time. It just means I need to be careful with my sweet, sweet energy juices.

♥ I possess a gold belt in karate. Yeah, no one else knows what a gold belt is either. And yes, I know. So “Asian” of me to dabble in martial arts.

♥ I loathe small talk which is the main reason I attempt many months and months of not stepping foot inside a hair salon. So, I own a pair of hair cutting scissors and look like my mom cut my hair most of the time.

♥ I feel more comfortable talking philosophy with a chatty old man on the bus or conspiracy theories with an eccentric living on the streets than trying to be my most intelligent and pleasing self with my supposed peers. So, I can only engage in ostentatious interactions for so long until I drop the F-bomb, eat a messy cheeseburger like a ravenous wild child, and just want everyone to chill the fuck out on their A game.

♥ Give me caramels, cheesecake, or Salt & Straw ice cream, and you’ll have a friend for life.

To get more inside my head if you so desire, you may want to read these posts…

p.s. All images are snapped by me (or once in a while, the husband) unless otherwise noted. I currently use a Nikon D7000 with a 35mm f/1.8 lens and a Samsung Galaxy S7.

p.p.s. I do not have commenting enabled. I feel this frees me to write true and strong as well as to not get distracted with moderating comments and spam. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to message me. Thank you for your understanding.

Hello

I’m Frani, the creator of this little ol’ realm called Wanderwhirl.

Most of the time, I can be found crouching in a corner – hissing and crying tears of despair writing in my little hidey-hole, pulling out strands of hair as I do so and questioning my own existence. When I can be bothered to come around here, I talk a lot about feelings. And food. And my dogs. And yep, more feelings. Currently, it’s a bit “Nevertheless, she persisted.” and all that jazz around here.

I am partnered to a weird and handsome fella and pack leader to two strange four-legged creatures who are supposedly dogs. (I think one might be a catdeerdog and the other a muppet, but what do I know?) I am a lover of history, research, and baby animals. I am an avid ponderer on the scrumptiousness of ice cream and believe everyone should join me in this illustrious work.

Presently, I am attempting to make sense of the bits and pieces of various novels I have brought into existence and it’s fun HAHAHAHAHA OH GOD WHAT HAVE I DONE PLEASE SEND HELP.